lead pipes

A decade after the Flint, Michigan, water crisis raised alarms about the dangers of lead in tap water, President Joe Biden is setting a 10-year deadline for U.S. cities to replace lead pipes and make drinking water safe for all Americans.

The Natural Resources Defense Council has created a nationwide map of locations for some 9.2 million lead service lines. The map is based on Environmental Protection Agency data.

The U.S. EPA says its Get the Lead Out Initiative is helping 200 underserved and disadvantaged communities accellerate programs to replace lead service lines.

There remain about 1,900 homes that require repairs to fix damaged lawns, sidewalks, driveways, and curbs.

Flint started ramping up its pipe replacement program in the wake of the city’s water crisis. Improperly treated river water used as the city’s drinking water source damaged pipes, releasing lead and other contaminants into Flint’s tap water.

The U.S. EPA recently proposed improvements to its Lead and Copper Rule. Michigan is already complying with the proposed improvements and has some of the most stringent lead and copper rules in the country, state officials say.

Of just over $11 million in recently announced grants, the small city within Detroit's borders is getting a little more than $10 million from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. It will go toward replacing water mains and lead service lines.

We're finally digging up the lead pipes, but 145 years ago this week, Michigan State Professor Robert Kedzie warned the Michigan Board of Health about the dangers of lead poisoning from consumer products.

On April 25, 2014, Flint's drinking water source was switched to the Flint River. The intent of the switch was to save the city millions of dollars. The result was an environmental disaster.

"The city has mismanaged this program and has missed its deadlines,” said NRDC attorney Addie Rolnick.